Fracture healing after rigid intramedullary nailing in rats

Rigid intramedullary nailing of the right tibia after osteotomy with resection of the fibula was performed on 48 male Wistar rats weighting 300-400 g. Nailing was performed with 1.4-mm nails after reaming. Nail stiffness was similar to that of intact tibias. The left leg remained unoperated as control. The animals were sacrificed after 4, 8, 12 or 16 weeks, and both tibiae were tested in a 3-point bending test. Of the 35 animals with the nail in situ, nine animals showed non-union at the time of testing. At 8 weeks stiffness had reached normal values, while strength and deflection showed about half of normal values. Poor strength and small deflectability combined with near normal stiffness may be taken as evidence that Wolf's law is valid also in newly formed tissues of fracture healing; the protection given by a rigid nail makes normal strength and pliability unnecessary.